Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, but what do they mean?
It’s always entertaining when motorists run into vague or bizarre signs that leave them wondering what the heck they mean and, more important, whether they’re enforceable.
Chuck is going to kick off this column with his latest discovery: What does this sign mean? I came across it for the first time yesterday in the parking lot of the shopping center at Eastern Avenue and Silverado Ranch Boulevard. I’m assuming it’s for “energy efficient” vehicles, but what are the criteria for determining that? How is it enforced? Is it a local law, or just a restriction from the owners of the property?
Well, this sign puzzled both me and traffic officers with the Metropolitan Police Department.
This is the best information we could come up with: It was probably placed in the lot by the property owners, and there is likely a plug nearby for electric vehicles. The intention is to give owners of hybrid or electric cars preferential parking spots.
But Nevada law requires any restricted parking space to say exactly that, and why it is restricted. For example, parking spaces reserved for the disabled must say “Handicapped Parking,” “Handicapped Parking Only,” “Reserved for the Handicapped” or any combination of those words. We can probably expect to see more of these signs for “green” vehicles, but this one is too vague to be legally enforced.
Don wants a rest: We made a trip to Lake Havasu, Ariz., in April and Laughlin in May. There is a new rest stop on U.S. Highway 95 a few miles from the Laughlin turnoff and state line. However, on both trips it was closed. It looks like they made a nice rest stop, but we were wondering why it isn’t opened since it looks finished.
Wonder no more, Don. That was a Nevada Department of Transportation project, and the reason it has yet to open is that workers are finishing up the plumbing. What good is a rest stop without plumbing, right?
Word from the state agency is that it will open in June.
Arthur is looking for airport transportation options: I recently saw a television ad for shuttle2LAX.com, which offers a ride to Los Angeles International Airport for $20. The service covers a tremendous amount of territory. I have found that about the only way I can get transportation to our airport is by taxi, which costs $80 or more from where I live near Aliante Station. When I lived in North Carolina, I could drive to the Charlotte airport and park my car in long term at a reasonable rate. What options do I have here?
That’s an interesting gig going on in L.A. Shuttle2LAX buys open seats from leading airport shuttle services and sells the seats on its website for $20.
We in Las Vegas have nothing like that. Of course, the casinos on the Strip and downtown offer some transportation services, but for those of us who live here, the options are few.
As I’m sure Arthur is aware, if you call a chartered sedan to your home, you are looking at a minimum of $40, and from Arthur’s place that rate will likely approach $100.
So, options. First, McCarran International Airport offers some of the least expensive parking in the country. You can park in the economy lot just west of Paradise Road for $8 a day. Five days parked in the economy lot amounts to the minimum limo fee from your home.
Also, the Regional Transportation Commission has made strides to provide convenient transportation to the airport. You can park for free at the South Strip Transfer Station at Gilespie Street and Sunset Road and ride the bus to the airport for $2.
You can do the same with the airport express at the Westcliff Transit Center off Summerlin Parkway and Durango Drive. The trip to the airport is about 50 minutes and costs $2.
Another option is finding a bus route from your neighborhood to Westcliff, the Bonneville Transit Center or the Suncoast, which also has a park-and-ride, and catch the airport express.
Pat wants respect for the signs: A recent problem has arisen when new people move into a house on our restricted cul-de-sac. There are signs clearly posted “No parking beyond this sign,” yet they continue to park on the street, blocking my and the two other driveways. We have spoken with them, but to no avail. What can we do? Is there a phone number to call?
If you live in a neighborhood governed by a homeowners association, it would be best to contact it first and perhaps the association can take care of the violators.
If not, Las Vegas police will send someone out to determine whether the parked vehicles are violating the law and, if so, issue the owner a ticket. The best way to contact officers is through their nonemergency line at 702-828-3111. Good luck.
If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at 702-387-2904, or send an email to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.
• Beginning Monday and lasting up to five days, expect lane closures on westbound Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South. Expect intermittent overnight closures of all lanes on Las Vegas Boulevard at Tropicana as the MGM Grand erects a 140-foot crane for a renovation project. Work hours are from midnight to 8 a.m.• Through June 4, expect lane restrictions on Lamb Boulevard between Razon Avenue and Heller Drive as crews work on a sewer rehabilitation project. Construction hours are 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday. No left turns will be permitted throughout the work zone.
• Through June 15, expect delays on Alexander Road between Puebla Street and Lamb Boulevard for a sewer rehabilitation project. Work hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Left turns will not be permitted throughout the work zone.
• Portions of Mesquite, Sixth and Seventh streets will remain closed through the week as crews clean up from Helldorado Days.
• For the next week, expect delays on U.S. Highway 93 between Buchanan Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive in Boulder City as the road is paved. The highway will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
• Elkhorn Road between Bradley Road and Jones Boulevard and between Jones and Torrey Pines Drive will be closed through May for a storm drain project.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average price of gasoline in the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday was $3.88 per gallon; the state average was $3.93; the national average was $3.69.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
